Yukina's Twin
by Kurama no Miko2003
Summary: Yukina gets kidnapped! What will Hiei do? Please R&R! Rating for violence and language.


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also don't own any other characters that show up in this fic. I earn no money from this at all; it is only for entertainment. I just thought you might want to know.  
  
Author's Note: This fic is also a sequel to Kurama no Kanojo, so there'll be a couple of my own characters in there, namely Sakura and Nadeshiko. There is also a minor little change in detail that I would like to make for the sake of this fic. In Vol. 7 of YYH, the Two Shots at the end of the volume say that Kurama met Hiei about a year before the beginning of the series. However, based on their height difference in the animé and manga, I'd actually say that it was around six years, if Kurama is about a foot taller than Hiei and grew at a rate of about two inches a year. That's about it! Enjoy, minna-san! (^_^)  
  
Acknowledgements: I'd like to thank all of the people who've read and reviewed my other two fics.  
  
Yukina's Twin By Kurama no Miko2003  
  
It was late at night before strange creatures start to stir and move towards the door of a bedroom at Genkai's temple. A tree branch suddenly snaps, waking up a nearby black clad person up in a tree. He instantly wakes up and pulls the white bandanna off of his forehead to reveal a jagan, glowing a faint neon green. The person suddenly frowns and disappears from the tree branch only to reappear as a black shadow amongst the strange creatures, slaying each with his sword, a malevolent neon blue arch as it slices the creatures in half. He stares down at the dismembered corpses of the creatures and simply shrugs as black flame appears in his right hand and sets the corpses on fire, leaving nothing but dust to be blown away by the wind. A candlelit shadow appears behind the door of the bedroom, catching the black clad figure by surprise. He instantly darts away as a young girl with light blue hair and ruby eyes looked around to see that nobody is there.  
  
"Ara? I thought I heard some noises . . . I guess I was dreaming." She looks around some more, but could not see her protector anywhere and goes back inside to sleep. The black clad figure sighs with relief and sadness as he sees her go back inside.  
  
"It's been the third time this week . . . what does the enemy want with Yukina?" he whispers as he sees the candle blown out from a tree branch. He stands there, just scanning the terrain, for another hour before deciding to put his bandanna back on and going back to sleep.  
  
The next morning . . .  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Genkai-baasan!" Yukina cheerfully greets as she carries breakfast out of the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning, Yukina. Did you sleep well last night?" Genkai asks as she sits down to eat.  
  
"I did, but I thought I heard some fighting in the middle of the night. I checked outside, but I did not see anything," she replies as she blows over her miso soup to cool it.  
  
Looks like Hiei was here again last night . . . I wonder what is going on, Genkai thinks as she eats her breakfast.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
A tapping noise from the balcony door wakes up Kurama and Sakura as both of them yawn and check the clock to see that it was seven a.m. "I'll go get it," Kurama replies as he gets out of bed. "It's probably Hiei, although I wonder what he could possibly want seven a.m. on a Saturday morning."  
  
"Okay; I'm going back to sleep, then," came the sleepy reply as Sakura fell asleep again. Kurama yawns as he opens his balcony door.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Hiei. What is so important that you cannot wait to tell me later this morning?" Kurama asks as he yawns again.  
  
"Shut your mouth and listen," Hiei bluntly replies. "Someone's been attacking Yukina in the middle of the night." Kurama suddenly looks serious. He knew Yukina was the most important person in Hiei's life. "They've already attacked three times this week."  
  
"Any suspects?" Kurama asks in reply.  
  
"No," Hiei curtly replies.  
  
"I see . . . I'll call Yuusuke and Kuwabara in a couple of hours and we can all talk about it then. Until then," he yawns again. "Until then, let me sleep." With that, Kurama closes the balcony door and crawls back into bed.  
  
Several hours later at a park . . .  
  
"Hi, Kurama, Sakura, and Nadeshiko-chan," Yuusuke cheerfully greets as Kurama, Sakura and Nadeshiko approach him and Kuwabara. "What's this about Yukina? Kuwabara has been ranting for the last fifteen minutes about what he's going to do to whoever is attacking her."  
  
"Let's wait for Hiei to explain, shall we?" Kurama replies, indicating to Yuusuke that he did not want to talk about it right there. "He was the one who called this meeting by waking me up at seven this morning." Just then, Hiei arrives.  
  
"Hiei, what's this about Yukina?" Kuwabara exclaims as Hiei jumps down from a tree. Hiei gives Kuwabara a cold glare before starting.  
  
"Someone has been attacking her in the middle of the night during this past week. I have no idea who it could be, but it could be ghosts from any of our pasts, with the exception of this baka here. I don't think his name is notorious enough to warrant any youkai to want his life," Hiei bluntly says, ignoring the protests and insults that Kuwabara is shouting at him.  
  
"What do you mean by I'm not notorious enough?! Of course I am! I am the great Kuwabara Kazuma and all youkai shall have weak knees in my presence!" Kuwabara shouts, full of pride and egocentrism.  
  
"Uh-huh, but my knees aren't weak," Hiei simply replies, once again provoking Kuwabara. However, Sakura cut in before Kuwabara can respond.  
  
"That's nice, but are we going to do about it? We can't just sit back and relax," she replies, concerned for Yukina.  
  
"I say we find whoever it is and beat the living daylights out of them!" Kuwabara replies, determined to defeat the enemy.  
  
"It would be pointless to do that if we don't even know who the enemy is. I think we should set up a watch on Yukina at all times and we'll probably find out who is the one behind this," Kurama replies. Suddenly, they all here Yukina's voice.  
  
Somebody, help me! Kazuma-san, Hiei-san, anybody! Some youkai attacked us and Genkai-baasan tried to defeat them, but she failed. I'm hiding underneath the temple right now, but I'm afraid they'll find me any minute!  
  
"Kurama, let's go," Hiei coldly says as he clenches his right fist and disappears. Kurama, Sakura and Nadeshiko follow close after with Yuusuke and Kuwabara far behind.  
  
A little while later . . .  
  
"Yukina! Yukina!" Hiei shouts as he reaches the shattered doors of the temple. He sees Genkai on the ground, unconscious not far from Yukina's bedroom door, but no Yukina. He checks under the temple and sees nothing at first, but then on closer inspection, sees hiruiseki pearls scattered on the ground around a shallow depression in the dirt where Yukina was hiding, but still, no Yukina. Just then, Kurama, Sakura, and Nadeshiko arrive.  
  
"Hiei, where's Yukina? And what happened to Genkai?" Kurama asks as Hiei emerges from underneath the temple with a small handful of the pearls in a pouch that must have been a part of his cloak pocket.  
  
"Kidnapped," came the cold reply. Hiei appears calm, but, in reality, is raging with anger. Kurama instantaneously notices it in Hiei's reply.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll get her back," Kurama replies, hoping to console his friend.  
  
"Hiei-san! Come here! I found some drag marks and frostbitten plants with some strange pearls!" Nadeshiko shouts as she continues to inspect the dirt with Sakura. Hiei and Kurama run over to see that Nadeshiko was right.  
  
"Frostbitten plants?" Kurama asks as he arrives.  
  
"Yes, and the trail leads towards this hole in the wall," Sakura replies from a section of the wall that had been blown up. The wall had a strange burn marks all around it.  
  
"That means that Yukina must have been trying to defend herself," Yuusuke replies as he arrives carrying Genkai.  
  
"Where's Yukina?" Kuwabara demands as he runs up to Kurama.  
  
"She's been kidnapped," Kurama replies.  
  
"Kurama, could you take care of Baasan?" Yuusuke asks as he sets Genkai down on the ground  
  
"Sure thing," Kurama replies as he starts to check to see if Genkai was still breathing. Meanwhile, Hiei was inspecting the wall.  
  
This crater was created by black flames . . . could it be Resshin . . .? But that's not possible, I killed him a long time ago . . . still, it doesn't change anything. The kidnappers must have known that Yukina has a connection to me . . . I guess my first instinct is right. Hiei turns around and says, "This wall was destroyed by a Makai flame master." Everyone suddenly turns around to look at him.  
  
"Are you sure, Hiei?" Sakura asks.  
  
"Yes," Hiei simply replies, not bothering to explain. With that, he flits off, leaving everyone else to further investigate.  
  
"Hiei-san!" Nadeshiko shouts, preparing to go after him. Just then, Kurama puts his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.  
  
"Nadeshiko-chan, don't. Hiei is very angry right now, and there's no telling what he could do. I wouldn't put it beyond him to try and kill you. He just needs some time on his own. Don't worry, he'll come along when it comes time for us to rescue Yukina. Until then, I think it's best we let him be." Nadeshiko looks back with pleading eyes, but then turns away as she looks down at the ground.  
  
Meanwhile, back to Hiei . . .  
  
I should have been there for her . . . I'm her older brother! It's all my fault! The one thing that I swore I would do . . . and I can't even follow through with it! Hiei thinks as he runs deep into the bamboo forest. He stops by the hot springs and looks at the pearls, remembering the first time they met after the fighting tournament.  
  
(Start flashback)  
  
"Oh, Hiei-san, I didn't know you were taking a bath here," Yukina says as she walks out. Hiei was putting his black cloak back on and turns to look at her.  
  
"It's okay, I was just getting dressed anyway. What are you doing here?" he asks in reply, putting his white scarf on around his neck.  
  
"Just exploring. I've only been here for a week and I'd like to see what's around here, that's all," Yukina replies with a smile. Hiei nods, and leaves.  
  
(End flashback)  
  
A twig suddenly snaps, and Hiei turns around, shouting, "Who's there?"  
  
A figure steps out from the forest of bamboo, chuckling. "Long time no see, Hiei. Or should I say the Forbidden Child? You have changed since I last saw you, 450 years ago on that frozen pond. I knew you must have survived. We never found your body when we dragged the frozen lake."  
  
"You b******! What have you done to Yukina?!" Hiei shouts, getting angry.  
  
"So, my spy was right. Yukina is your sister. I thought Yukina was your long lost girlfriend, but it looks like Kurama was right." Hiei's eyes grew large as he heard that it was Kurama who had supplied Resshin with the information.  
  
"Ku-Kurama?!" Hiei shouts in surprise.  
  
"That's right. We told him we had information about Sakura's whereabouts. He was so gullible, it was easy," Resshin replies with a chuckle. "I'll be waiting for you here with Yukina," he pauses as he throws a note at Hiei. "Bring your friends, just come by yourself, it really doesn't matter to me. I'll be seeing you then," he says as he disappears into thin air. He lands on top of a bamboo plant, unnoticed by Hiei. Haha, he'll never figure out the truth . . . this shall be interesting . . .  
  
Meanwhile, Hiei had finished reading the note and decides not to go back to his tree by the temple. He looks down at the pearls again, and his vision blurs as he feels his own tears rolling down his face and onto the ground as perfectly clear pearls. Kurama . . . how could you betray me like this? I thought we were friends . . . you've helped me so many times . . . was that just to gain my trust? Just then, Hiei hears the sound of paws against dried bamboo leaves and wipes his tears away. He whirls around to see a four-tailed fox. Noticing Hiei's gaze, it reverts into its youko form and transforms back into a human. It was Kurama. Barely controlling his anger, Hiei demands, "What do you want?"  
  
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, Hiei, but it wasn't me who told that guy about Yukina," he says as he pauses. He looks down on the ground, and then quieter, he continues, "I'd never do that, not to a friend."  
  
At that, Hiei explodes. "How do I know I can even trust you?! You say you wouldn't, but how do I know that it wasn't you who told him? How do I know that you're just trying to convince me other wise and then hand me over to him when you get the chance? How?!"  
  
Kurama sighs. He knew there was no way he could. "I guess I can't, but you'll just have to trust me. We've been friends all this time, you'll just have to believe in that," he calmly replies.  
  
"I can't trust you anymore, Kurama, nor can I consider you as a friend. Leave, before I kill you," Hiei says as he turns away. Not hearing any fading footsteps, Hiei whirls around and pulls out his sword, "Go away before I kill you!" Seeing that it was futile to say anything else to convince Hiei, Kurama turns around and leaves. Once Kurama was out of sight, Hiei looks out over the spring again, sits down, and buries his face in his knees.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the temple . . .  
  
"Kurama-san, where's Hiei-san?" Nadeshiko asks as Kurama comes out of the bamboo forest. Noticing how depressed Kurama looked, Nadeshiko asks, "What's wrong, Kurama-san?" By now, everyone else had noticed as well and turns to look at him. Kurama does not reply, but simply sits down on the wooden steps of the temple, buries his face in his arms, which were crossed over his knees. Sakura sits down next to him and puts her arm over his shoulder.  
  
"Kurama, what's wrong? Why are you so depressed?" Kurama does not reply, but simply hugs her and buries his face on her shoulder. She is surprised, but simply hugs him back and runs her hands up and down his back to comfort him.  
  
Back at Resshin's HQ . . .  
  
"Master, you have returned," a familiar voice greets Resshin as he enters the control room. "How did it go?"  
  
"Quite well, Kurama. What has Hiei done over the past hour?"  
  
"He has spoken with my original and has broken up his friendship with him, as we expected. What should I do with the girl?" he replies, indicating to Yukina, who was sitting in the center of a small cage wrapped with powerful anti-koorime wards.  
  
"Leave her in there, but make sure you take good care of her. We'll need her for the next stage in our plans. Besides, we can't afford to appear barbaric, starving the poor girl," Resshin replies as he puts his hand between the bars to lift up her chin. Yukina looks away at first, but Resshin turns her head to look straight at him. "After I kill that brother of yours and that foolish human, you'll be my wife."  
  
"Bro-brother?" Yukina replies, shocked.  
  
"Oh, you mean you don't know?" he replies, ridiculing her. "I mean Hiei. I see, so he doesn't care enough about you to even tell you." He lets go of her chin and pulls his hand back out. "Kurama, make sure she doesn't try anything stupid," he instructs as he leaves.  
  
"Yes, master," Kurama replies with a bow.  
  
The next day . . .  
  
Hiei wakes up to find himself still at the hot springs. A bunch of glittering pearls lay scattered around his face was as he gets up on his feet. "Yukina . . ." He suddenly remembers the note. Just then he sensed someone behind him. He turns around to see that it was Genkai.  
  
"I have a question for you, Hiei. You have been protecting Yukina for the past several nights from youkai that has been after her . . . why?"  
  
"That's none of your business, Baba," Hiei coldly replies.  
  
"Is it because you're in love with her?" Hiei flinches in response. "Or is it because you're related to her?" she asks, waiting for Hiei's response.  
  
"This has nothing to do with you!" he angrily replies, flitting away.  
  
"So, I was right. Yukina is related to him . . . but this still does not explain Kurama's upset behavior yesterday. Something else must be going on," Genkai murmurs as she walks back to the temple.  
  
A little while later . . .  
  
"Genkai-baasan, have you found out anything from Hiei-san?" Nadeshiko eagerly asks as Genkai walks back into her temple. Sakura hands her a cup of tea.  
  
"Yes. I don't think he meant to give it away, though. Yukina is related to him; I'm pretty sure of it. He became quite angry when I asked him," she says, sipping her hot tea. Yuusuke and Kurama did not respond, but Kuwabara is surprised.  
  
"There is no way that Yukina could be related to him! He can't be!" he looks over to the calm Kurama and Yuusuke. "Urameshi, Kurama do you know something I don't, again?!"  
  
Kurama, lost in thought, looks over to the redhead. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you ask?"  
  
"He wants to know if Hiei is really related to Yukina," Yuusuke replies.  
  
"Well?!" Kuwabara exclaims, curious. Both Kurama and Yuusuke do not respond, but simply sit in silence. Just then, Hiei opens the door of the temple.  
  
"We're rescuing Yukina, now. You can either come or stay, I don't care," he coldly says as he turns around to leave. Everyone except Genkai follow him out the temple.  
  
"Hiei, you know where the enemy is?" Kuwabara incredulously asks.  
  
"Shut up and follow me," Hiei coldly replies, giving Kuwabara a colder glare than usual. "We're going to Mt. Hiei."  
  
That night, on Mt. Hiei . . .  
  
This is where he said to meet him in his note . . . so where is he? Hiei wonders as he looks around. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's a quarter to midnight, why?" Kurama replies.  
  
"Nothing." So I'm early. I wonder- A stick snaps, startling him out of his thoughts. "Who's there?!"  
  
"No one, other than the God of Death!" Botan gleefully shouts as she runs out from behind a tree with Puu.  
  
"Thank goodness," Yuusuke replies. "You startled us, Botan!"  
  
"Sorry, but Koenma told me to bring Puu, so I did." Just then, a thud and a shout come from Kurama's direction.  
  
"Sakura!" Kurama shouts as he is being dragged away.  
  
"Kurama!" Sakura shouts as she sees Kurama being dragged away. She starts to go after him.  
  
"Wait! Sakura, don't go after him! We don't know who's out there! It'd pointless to get separated in the dark. Besides, Kurama can take care of himself," Yuusuke shouts, stopping her. Puu turns and hides his face in Botan's shirt. Five minutes later, a painful scream rings as Kurama walks back out towards the group.  
  
"Kurama, you're alright!" Sakura exclaims, relieved and hugging him. He flinches, but before anyone could ask about it, the ground suddenly starts to sink. "What the-?" Sakura exclaims as they start to move. After sinking about fifty feet or so, light starts to shine from the room that is slowly coming into view. It is filled with numerous youkai, who takes notice right away and starts to gather around the landing area.  
  
"Get ready, guys; we're going to have to fight all of them," Yuusuke warns as Hiei takes out his sword. The instant they stop, he dashes straight into the center of the horde, multiple screams of pain ringing out as youkai start to fall into pieces. Yuusuke and Kuwabara run out and start to punch and kick any youkai that come within attack distance and Sakura had used her powers to create a whip, which she flicks around with deadly accuracy, as had Nadeshiko and Kurama. Botan summons her oar and flies above the bloody scene to prevent herself and Puu from getting injured. In less than five minutes, there were only pieces of youkai left in the room.  
  
"So, what now?" asks Yuusuke as he walks over to the center of the room, where everyone else is gathering.  
  
"We find the b****** who is responsible and kill him," Hiei simply replies. Kurama looks around the room.  
  
"Look, over there!" Kurama suddenly exclaims as he sees an open door showing the way into a darkened corridor. "An open door . . . I wonder where it leads?"  
  
"Let's go," Hiei says as he starts running to the door.  
  
"Oi, wait up!" Kuwabara exclaims as he follows. Everyone else runs to catch up to Hiei. After running for about five minutes, Kuwabara suddenly stops. Yuusuke notices this and stops and turns around.  
  
"Kuwabara, what's wrong?" he asks.  
  
"Something doesn't feel right . . . Tell Hiei to stop! There's a trap up ahead!" Kuwabara exclaims as a high-pitched scream echoes through the corridor. "Urameshi, let's hurry!" The two of them run on a little further to see a hole in the floor with Hiei on the far side watching what Kurama and Sakura are doing on the near side. Nadeshiko is nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Where's Nadeshiko-chan?" asks Yuusuke as he runs up to Sakura and Kurama.  
  
"Over the edge. She was standing right over the tile as it gave way. She flung up her whip just as she started to fall. Kurama caught it and that's when you two showed up," Sakura explains as Kurama continues to pull her up by her whip.  
  
"Please, hurry! Nadeshiko-chan can't hold onto her whip much longer!" Nadeshiko shouts as her grip started to slip. She looks down and panics as she realizes that she cannot see the bottom of the shaft. "Please!"  
  
"Hold on, Nadeshiko-chan," Kurama manages to say between pulls. "Sakura, lay down on the floor to my left and get ready to catch her if her grip slips."  
  
She nods. "I got it." She lies down and stretches out her arm. "Just a little further, Kurama! I almost got her!" Just then, Nadeshiko's hand slips just a little further as she tries to bring up her other hand for a better grip.  
  
"Don't let go!" Sakura shouts in reply. "I almost got you! Try to bring up your left hand!"  
  
Nadeshiko tries to reach Sakura's hand, but to no avail. As she tries to reach a second time, her hand completely slips away, and she falls down the shaft, screaming. "NADESHIKO-CHAN!!!!" Sakura screams as Nadeshiko falls, quickly disappearing from view. Sakura sits up, sobbing into her hands. Kurama does nothing to console her, but simply looks down the shaft with a triumphant look on his face. This goes by unnoticed by everyone but Hiei, who begins to angrily clench his right hand. Botan was nowhere to be seen. What's going on with Kurama? It's not like him to not console someone he cares for; let alone show he's triumphed by letting Nadeshiko fall. What if . . . That's it! It must have happened when he got dragged away! He must have been telling the truth earlier! Kurama . . . I'm sorry, my friend. I should have believed you . . . I swear on my own grave that I'll avenge you, Nadeshiko. You won't have died in vain, I swear it.  
  
"Ara? Where's Botan?" Kuwabara asks, looking around. She suddenly appears on her oar above the hole.  
  
"I dove down to see if I could catch her, but it was so dark down there I could hardly find my way out. I don't know how far I went down, but I couldn't see her nor could I hear her. We better move before anything else happens. Sakura, I'm sure we'll find her," Botan reports. She flies to the other side of the hole. "C'mon, jump!" Everyone else does as Botan suggested and safely makes it across. They all start running again, with the exception of Botan, who is flying on her oar to keep up. Suddenly, a small window of bright light appears at the end of the hallway.  
  
"This is it, get ready, guys! We're reaching the end of the corridor!" Yuusuke shouts as he sees it. Just then, a dozen small arrows shoot out of both sides of the wall from various places as Kuwabara is about to shout a warning and a loud scream pierces through the whizzing of the arrows. Hiei dodges them all with ease and Kuwabara had stopped just as he realized that they were approaching another trap. Sakura had dodged most of them, but was scratched by a few, as had Kurama. Botan, however, had been hit in the side, and a few had scratched Yuusuke as he picked her up to get her out of the way.  
  
"Puu, puu, puu," Puu says as it lands next to Botan, ears moving over her face to check for any signs of life.  
  
"Botan! Quick, somebody give me a piece of your shirt! I need to get the arrow out of her!" Sakura orders as she inspected the arrow, which was sticking upwards towards the ceiling. Botan is gritting her teeth in pain and tears were streaming out of the corners of her closed eyes, mingling with the sweat that was starting to roll down the sides of her face. "Botan, listen to me. Botan!" Sakura shouted as Botan turned her head back and forth. "I am going to remove the arrow. You must stay very still. Here," Sakura says as she forms a small rod of ice in her hand. "Open your mouth and bite on this instead of your own teeth." Botan obediently opens her mouth and bites on the ice. "I'm going to remove it on the count of three. One . . . two . . . uhn!" Sakura says as she pulls out the arrow. Botan's eyes go wide with pain as the arrow is pulled out and blood starts to gush out of the wound. Sakura instantly pulls up Botan's shirt to inspect the wound. "Everybody turn around," she commands as water flows out of her hand and onto the wound.  
  
"How's the wound?" Yuusuke asks, his back facing Sakura and Botan.  
  
"It's very deep, but I can't be sure in this dim light. I need a piece of cloth to cover it. Kurama, I need Makai healing herbs, now."  
  
"I got it," he replies. A few moments later, a few leaves were placed to her left as a piece of Yuusuke's shirt was placed on her right. Sakura pours water out of her hand until the cloth was soaked with water.  
  
"Hiei, could you please give me a little fire? I want to sterilize this before I wrap it onto Botan's wound. It should help prevent infection," Sakura explains. Hiei wordlessly walks over and lights his left hand on fire, allowing Sakura to use it until the cloth was completely dry.  
  
"Good, that should do it," Sakura says as she crushes the leaves and places them on the wound and wraps the piece of cloth around her waist. Botan tenses with pain as the leaves fall on the wound and the cloth was wrapped and tied around her waist. She loses consciousness as Sakura pulls her shirt back down and sighs a huge sigh of relief. "She should be fine now. Give it a little time and those herbs should start working."  
  
"Good, I'm glad," Yuusuke replies as he turns around. "But what now? We can't possibly stay here and wait for Botan."  
  
"I know. That's why I'm going to stay here with her, or at least until she regains consciousness," Sakura replies.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Yuusuke asks, unsure.  
  
"Positive. We can't just leave her here, and there's no way we can carry her to the end of the corridor without knowing what's at the end of it," she replies.  
  
"Okay, but come if we need help before Botan wakes up," Yuusuke replies. "We'll give you a signal."  
  
"Um . . . okay, but what's the signal?" Sakura replies.  
  
"Our death screams," Yuusuke replies. Everyone sweatdrops at the reply. "Okay, fine. It won't be that, but if you hear anything near it, come. It means we need your help."  
  
"I understand. Go, and good luck!" Sakura shouts as everyone but Kurama runs off. "Don't worry about me, Kurama. I'll be fine. Botan should be fine, too; the herbs should be working."  
  
"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Kurama replies, smiling sinisterly and leaning very close to Sakura. Sakura sees the smile and backs up against the wall, pushing Botan so that she is protected.  
  
"Ku-Kurama, are you alright?"  
  
"Of course I am . . . but neither of you will be," he replies, pulling a blade of grass out of his hand and turning it into a sword.  
  
"Kurama, what are you doing? Go-" she stops as she sees the malice in Kurama's eyes. "Y-you're not the real Kurama, are you?" she whispers.  
  
"Ooh, how smart of you to figure it out," he pauses, preparing to attack. "But that won't save you!" He jumps at her, aiming for her heart. Sakura dodges to the side, but not enough and was cut on her side. Kurama pulls the sword out of the wall with ease as Sakura summons her ice spear, only to find that it would not appear in her hands.  
  
"What the-? Why won't it appear?" she exclaims, surprised.  
  
"Haha, you've fallen into my trap. That was no healing herb. It's a plant that's poisonous to anyone who uses reiki and seals in the powers of those who use youki. Isn't it a handy little plant?" he explains with a chuckle. He punches Sakura towards the wall and kicks her in the small of her back just before she hits it. She falls forward, unconscious. "Well, that was easy. One less for me to deal with; now, let's see how the remaining three are . . ."  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
"Where's Kurama?" Kuwabara asks as they enter the room. His question goes unanswered as they find that they have entered a strange room. There are various cylindrical containers containing bodies of various people, all of which were attached to tubes of some sort and were being drained of something. "What is this?"  
  
"It's a laboratory," a voice replies from the doorway.  
  
Hiei whirls around and sees the person. "Resshin!"  
  
"You know this guy?" Yuusuke asks, surprised.  
  
"He was one of the bounty hunters after me when I was younger. I thought I'd killed him when I fought him and managed to get him to fall off of a cliff, but that was three hundred years ago. I should have known better than to assume that he died," Hiei explains, glaring at Resshin the entire time. Just then, Kurama runs through the door.  
  
"Kurama, good timing! Now, help me defeat these three!" Resshin orders.  
  
"What the-? Kurama?! No way . . . it can't be! There's no way he would betray us," Kuwabara exclaims, shocked.  
  
"D-don't be fooled," a female says from the door. "I-it's not him." It was Sakura.  
  
"Damn! I thought that'd get rid of you . . . I guess I was wrong!" Kurama shouts, summoning vines from the floor. They wrap around Sakura's arms and legs, causing her to scream in pain as her wounds open up again, dripping blood on the floor.  
  
"Kurama, I'm leaving you here to take care of these four! I'll be waiting for you in the control room!" Resshin shouts as he disappears.  
  
"Understood, master," Kurama replies. He turns around to face Hiei, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara. "Now, let's see what you weaklings are made of." Meanwhile, Sakura starts gasping and gagging for air as one of the vines slowly tighten around her throat.  
  
"Rengokushyo!" Hiei shouts, pissed off and jagan wide open. His punch burns straight through the vines, stopping just short of burning Sakura. Yuusuke catches her before she hits the ground and props her against the door.  
  
"Hiei, what are you doing?! It's Kurama, isn't it?" Kuwabara asks, confused.  
  
"Resshin told me that it was Kurama who told him that Yukina has relations with me. That was why she was kidnapped," Hiei replies, hoping he did not say too much about his real relationship with Yukina.  
  
"But Hiei, if this is a fake Kurama, then where's the real one?" Kuwabara asks, getting into a defensive position.  
  
Hiei looks down towards the ground. Okay, let's play this out . . . see what he does as long as he thinks I've been fooled. "It doesn't matter. I've been fooled for the past seven years. I thought he was my friend, but it seems that I was wrong. Not only that, he has also fooled Nadeshiko as well. I cannot forgive him for this. This offense against me is punishable only by one thing . . ." Hiei looks up, eyes wide open and jagan glowing. "DEATH!" He charges towards Kurama at top speed while taking out his sword and throwing off his cloak at the same time. Kurama manages to dodge off to Hiei's right, attempting to kick Hiei once he was out of the sword's striking range. Hiei sees this and jumps up and prepares to land with both hands on his sword in an attempt to cut Kurama in half. Kurama leaps backward out of reach and stares down at Hiei as he lands. Yuusuke and Kuwabara only stare wide-eyed at the events, unsure as to attack or stop Hiei from attacking.  
  
Elsewhere within the building . . .  
  
What's happening? All I remember is being hit in the back of my head by some hard object and then everything going black. Why am I so weak and- what's this? I'm floating, no, suspended in water? What is going on here? A pair of emerald green eyes surveys the area. A laboratory? But how did I get here? In any case, it doesn't matter. I sense four, no, five powers nearby. The big one is definitely Yuusuke, and the weakest is probably Kuwabara-kun, but what about the three in the middle? Hiei, Sakura, and Nadeshiko? But that doesn't make sense. One of them is foreign, yet familiar . . . who is it? Who? Just then, the world starts to spin again, and then everything goes black as he falls unconscious again.  
  
Back to the fight . . .  
  
"Hiei, stop it! It's Kurama, isn't it? Maybe he's under a hypnotic spell of some sort," Yuusuke suggests, totally unsure of what to do. By now, Kurama had taken out his rose whip and was using it on Hiei.  
  
"Yuusuke, as much as I hate to say it, we're animé characters, and, as such, if any of us are under hypnosis, our pupils naturally disappear. If you look carefully enough, you'll see that this Kurama still has his pupils. Therefore, it must be a fake," Hiei explains. Besides, the real Kurama would not have hurt a single hair on Sakura's head . . . this must be a fake. Kurama . . . I'm sorry for not believing in you sooner . . .  
  
"How does he know these things?" Kuwabara asks, nudging Yuusuke, who simply ignores him.  
  
"But what if it's a spell that keeps the victim's pupils intact?" asks Yuusuke.  
  
"If there was one, I would've already heard and used it. After all, I'm the one with the jagan. I would've used such a spell already. It would make killing my enemies with one of their own friends much easier," Hiei replies, dodging another one of Kurama's attacks with the rose whip.  
  
"You know, if you don't stop moving like a good little youkai, I'll have to make you," Kurama threatens maliciously.  
  
"As if. Catch me, if you can," Hiei taunts. The threats . . . it's definitely not the real one . . . he wouldn't be so irritated, so frustrated. The real Kurama would have thought of a strategy to use against me by now.  
  
"I will!" Kurama replies, summoning vines all around Hiei.  
  
"Nice try!" Hiei shouts as he shoots off several fireballs at the vines. They were all destroyed.  
  
"S***! I'll still kill you!" Kurama shouts as he starts to chant something.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Hiei shouts as he runs up to Kurama. "Rengokushyo!" His attack hits Kurama fully in the stomach as a Makai Mimosa sprouts from the ground. Kurama goes down onto his knees as Hiei starts to hop around the plant's leafy jaws.  
  
"Urameshi, I think we better get out of the way; it's the same plant that Kurama used in the fighting tournament to eat Karasu!" Kuwabara exclaims as Hiei runs back and forth, slicing off the plant and then dashing out of range.  
  
"No, wait a minute. I think Hiei was right about Kurama. The last time he summoned it, he was in his youko form. Think about it, if it was the real Kurama fighting us, he would've transformed and then used the plant," Yuusuke reasons.  
  
"I see, and since Hiei is distracting the plant, it's our chance to attack him!" Kuwabara concludes. "Reiken!" He runs forward towards Kurama, sword in attack position. Yuusuke follows with a reigun ready to be fired at any time. Kurama flicks the whip at Kuwabara, but misses as the whip transforms back into a rose stem. He flings the useless stem aside and rushes at Kuwabara, attacking him. However, he did not realize that they had also caught the plant's attention and that it was now sending one of its toothy branches at them. Yuusuke and Kuwabara see it before it reaches them and start to run away from Kurama as the branch attacks him. The remaining branches start to wrap around Kurama, forming a ball. Yuusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara could only stare in shock as his death scream rings throughout the lab.  
  
"So we got rid of the clone, that's great, but where's the real Kurama?" Kuwabara asks, turning away from the horrid scene. Suddenly, Sakura limps back through the doorway with Botan. Puu had put up a shield that protected both girls from the plant.  
  
"Yuusuke, we must hurry; the fake Kurama gave Botan a poison, and I know he knows the cure to it," she says as she collapses onto the floor with an extremely pale Botan.  
  
"Sakura!" Yuusuke shouts as he runs towards her and Botan. Yuusuke lifts up Sakura's head. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I will be, once we find Kurama," she whispers, falling unconsciousness in Yuusuke's arms.  
  
"I will go find him," Hiei replies in his normal voice. He disappears.  
  
Five minutes later . . .  
  
"Yuusuke, he's not in here," Hiei says as he walks back in front of the group.  
  
"Are you sure?" Kuwabara asks, surprised.  
  
"Yes," came the curt reply. Just then, Sakura tries to get up, but fails and ends up landing in Yuusuke's arms.  
  
"I-it doesn't matter . . . we . . . we have to find him . . . or Nadeshiko . . . they . . . they know the cure," she whispers as she falls unconscious, yet again.  
  
"Sakura!" Yuusuke exclaims as she falls unconscious. He puts his other hand over her mouth. "At least she's still hanging in there. C'mon, we've got to find the real Kurama, fast!"  
  
"Urameshi! There's a door over there!" Kuwabara shouts, pointing to the far side of the lab.  
  
"Kuwabara, could you carry Botan?" Yuusuke asks as he picks up Sakura in a bride-over-the-threshold manner. "We can't just leave them behind to get attacked." He turns to walk towards the door and turns to Puu. "Good job, Puu. Once we start fighting in the other room, protect the girls as best as you can."  
  
"Puu!" it replies. It flies after the three of them.  
  
Several minutes later . . .  
  
"Hiei, can you check how long this hallway is?" Yuusuke asks, struggling to carry Sakura. "Sakura's getting really heavy, and I'm really tired."  
  
Hiei pulls off the bandanna of his jagan in reply. The soft neon green glow could be seen in the darkened corridor. "We're almost at the end. You should leave the girls here. There are youkai in the room we're about to enter."  
  
"Understood," Yuusuke replies, setting Sakura down about three feet away from the doorway. Kuwabara does the same. "Puu, watch over them for me."  
  
"Puu," it replies as Yuusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara run out into the room. It was another laboratory, just like the one they had just exited.  
  
"Another laboratory?!" Yuusuke exclaims.  
  
"Hmph! They're hiding in the capsules!" Hiei exclaims as a youkai breaks out of the water capsule and attacks. Hiei whisks out his katana and slices them into pieces, spraying blood all over the place. Numerous others jump out, following the example of the first.  
  
"Reiken!" Kuwabara shouts. He slices and dices the youkai as Hiei does the same and Yuusuke fights them one on one.  
  
"Yuusuke, I think they're being drained of youki," Hiei says as they reach the door at the other end of the room. "All of the youkai in here are slowly dying."  
  
"Kuwabara, let's get the girls and keep on going," Yuusuke says as he starts back to the other end. As they started to turn back, a huge explosion rocks the room, sending dust everywhere. It was followed by a massive increase of youki from someone.  
  
"Urameshi, let's go!" Kuwabara shouts, running. Yuusuke and Hiei were way ahead of him. As they get there, they see a huge cloud of dust and a blond haired man. "Urameshi, is-isn't that Karasu?"  
  
"Yes, but who was he fighting against?" Yuusuke replies.  
  
"Hahaha . . . that was too easy," Karasu says to the cloud, snickering.  
  
"Oh, don't be so confident!" a female voice replies from the dust. "You've forgotten something . . . Nadeshiko-chan is Kurama-san's daughter. And she won't be so easily defeated!"  
  
"Like father like daughter . . ." Karasu muses. "This will be fun."  
  
"You wish, you sick b******!" she replies. "Rose Whip!"  
  
"Your father tried that the last time we fought . . . but he lost," Karasu replies.  
  
"Oh? Then why are you just a weak clone?" she counters. "Enough talk. Let's finish this fight."  
  
"I agree . . ." Karasu starts as numerous explosions suddenly surrounded the youko. "That should take care of her."  
  
"Wrong again," the youko replies from within the cloud. Suddenly, a handful of blades of grass shoots outward from the dust towards Karasu. He dodges to the side, but the grass follows him. After dodging a couple more times, he gives up and throws a bomb at them.  
  
"Nice move, but not good enough!" Karasu shouts, summoning millions of Trace Eye bombs. They all surround the youko.  
  
"Hmph . . . and I suppose this is supposed to scare me?" she replies. Just then, two metal claws thrust through the floor and clamped onto her legs. She looks down at her legs, shocked.  
  
"Gotcha! There's no way you can escape now!" Karasu exclaims, setting off both bombs at once, as well as several of the Trace eyes. Yuusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara cover their eyes from the explosion. Just then, her voice cut through the explosion from above Karasu.  
  
"You thought you had me? I never thought you'd be stupid enough to fall for my double. You deserve this," she coldly says, slicing him with the whip as she landed. He smirks, thinking she had missed, but a few moments later, bursts in half, spraying blood all over her and the area immediately around them. The youko reverts back in a cloud of mist. As it clears, a little five-year-old girl replaces the youko. It was Nadeshiko.  
  
"Na-Nadeshiko-chan?! That was you?!" Kuwabara exclaims, surprised.  
  
"Who else did you expect it to be, Kuwabara?" she happily replies, as though nothing had happened.  
  
"You are capable of defeating Karasu?" Yuusuke asks.  
  
"Yep. He's not that strong," she replies, smiling. "The only reason Kurama-san lost is because he was unable to use the powers he had when he was a youko. Otherwise, Nadeshiko-chan's quite sure he could have beaten Karasu easily." She looks over at Puu and sees Sakura and Botan on the floor, protected by Puu's shield. "What's wrong with Botan-san and Sakura- san? And where's Kurama-san? Nadeshiko-chan thought he was with you."  
  
"Botan was poisoned and Sakura was beaten up by a fake Kurama that Hiei defeated," Yuusuke replies. "As for Kurama . . . we don't know where he is right now. All we know is that he and his fake were switched at some point."  
  
"Nadeshiko-chan understands," Nadeshiko replies, suddenly serious. "In any case, do you know which poison it is?"  
  
"We don't know . . . but Sakura said that only Kurama and you know the cure," Kuwabara replies.  
  
"Let Nadeshiko-chan have a look. Maybe she can slow it down," she replies. She walks over and checks Botan and Sakura's vital statistics. "Nadeshiko- chan knows which one it is . . . she's pretty positive. She just hopes it's not too late." She kneels and creates a katana with a blade of grass. She then pulls a small seed out of her hair and it grew into a small tree. It continued growing until it bloomed into delicate, velvety pink flowers that looked very familiar to Yuusuke and Kuwabara.  
  
"Those flowers . . . they're sakura, right?" Yuusuke asks.  
  
"Yes, it's the Makai incarnation of this tree. The Ningenkai version is just a pretty tree, but the Makai incarnation has multiple medicinal uses, among them is the cure for this particular poison," Nadeshiko replies. She cuts off a small branch, which starts to ooze at the cut. "The antidote is in the sap. Yuusuke-san, hold onto the branch for me." She takes out two small leaves and grows them until they become leaves the size of wagon wheels. She then folds them into two cups. "Let the sap drip into the cup and then slowly give it to Botan-san," she instructs as she cuts off another branch. She then does the same with her branch. Meanwhile, Hiei and Kuwabara were nervously glancing around the room, making sure that neither Yuusuke nor Nadeshiko would be attacked.  
  
"How did you get out of that hole?" Yuusuke asks as he administers the sap.  
  
"When Nadeshiko-chan came to, she found herself in a dark tunnel. She followed the wall until she felt a vent. Nadeshiko-chan crawled into it and found herself in that lab. She saw that Karasu was about to blow up Botan-san, Sakura-san, and Puu, so Nadeshiko-chan attacked him," Nadeshiko recounts. She sighs. "Nadeshiko-chan hopes Yukina-san and Kurama-san are alright . . ."  
  
Meanwhile in the control room . . .  
  
"S***! Curse the forbidden child! I guess it's about time I finished him off myself. They always did say that if you want something done right, do it yourself," Resshin shouts, frustrated. Yukina cowers in the cage, unsure of what to do. She once again looks at the cage next to hers. Inside was Kurama, drained of almost all of his youki, barely alive, and unconscious. "Forget about escape, Yukina, you're not leaving this place. Like I said earlier . . . your brother will die, and you will be mine forever!"  
  
"No! I won't!" Yukina shouts in reply, desperately hoping that Kuwabara would arrive. Please . . . help me, Kazuma-san, she telepathed to him.  
  
Back to Hiei and co. . . .  
  
Please . . . help me, Kazuma-san.  
  
"Yukina-san! I-I just heard her voice!" Kuwabara exclaims.  
  
"Where?" Hiei demands.  
  
"It was a telepathed message . . . I'm not sure where she is, though," Kuwabara replies. "She was pleading for me to help her-"  
  
"Yuusuke, let's go," Hiei cuts in, not allowing Kuwabara to finish his sentence.  
  
"What about Botan-san and Sakura-san?" Nadeshiko asks.  
  
"You stay here with them," Hiei says as he gets up to go.  
  
"Understood. We'll go and help you as soon as Botan-san and Sakura-san are well," Nadeshiko replies. She pauses, then hesitantly adds, "Good luck."  
  
"Don't worry about us, Nadeshiko. We'll be fine," Yuusuke replies. "We'll make sure we get this guy and bring back Yukina and Kurama alive."  
  
"C'mon guys! I'll lead the way. With my Rei powers, I'll make sure we get don't fall into any more traps!" Kuwabara exclaims as they run off.  
  
I hope so, Nadeshiko silently replies as she looks back over at Botan and Sakura. They better get there soon. I can barely feel Kurama-san's energy.  
  
"So, idiot, which way is it?" Hiei asks when they reach the first fork.  
  
"Hold on, I'm on it!" Kuwabara replies, annoyed. "I think it's this way." He points to the left fork.  
  
"Are you sure, pea-brain?" Hiei replies.  
  
"Hey! Stop that! I'm not stupid! I just sense fewer traps this way, three-eyes!" Kuwabara replies.  
  
"Yes, and I can tell you there are more powerful enemies this way!" Hiei replies. "Traps can be easily avoided if you're fast enough. You two can go left all you want, but I'm going right." Hiei flits off at top speed.  
  
"Wait! Hiei!" Yuusuke exclaims. We should stick together. He sighs. This wouldn't be half as bad if Kurama were here. At least he'd help me keep those two from killing each other and keep Hiei from running off like that. "C'mon, Kuwabara. If we let Hiei go first, we don't have to worry about those traps. He'd set them all off."  
  
Back at the control room . . .  
  
"Heh . . . so, they really don't get along that well, do they?" Resshin ponders. "I wonder, maybe this is the solution. Shaolan, Suzume?"  
  
"Yes, master?" two voices, one male, one female, reply in unison.  
  
"Go, and attack them. Shaolan, take on Hiei's form. Suzume, take on Kuwabara's form."  
  
"I'm sorry to contradict your orders, but I can most assuredly tell you that this will not work," Shaolan says, bowing low.  
  
"I don't care, just go and beat them! I don't f****** care! Just fatally wound them, or cut them, anything!" Resshin replied, agitated. There were days he really hated the pair's abilities. Shaolan and Suzume had the ability to see several hours into the future, with disturbing accuracy. They had already warned Resshin of failure, but he had ignored their warnings. And now, he suddenly found himself hip deep in, well, what could otherwise be described as s***. The pair knew in advance that Resshin was not going to listen to their advice; he never did, for that matter. They simply bowed low again and left.  
  
Once out of Resshin's hearing range, Shaolan speaks again. "Maybe we should try and side with Hiei and his companions. They seem strong enough. With their help, Resshin would be dead and we could be free. You know what will happen if we try to fight them." Suzume only nodded in agreement. She had also seen the same foresight as Shaolan and knew all too well the outcome; both she and Shaolan would be killed.  
  
"But are they really strong enough to keep us safe from Resshin? He killed everyone in our clan and threatened to kill us if we didn't help him," she replies, fearful for her and her brother's safety.  
  
"We have no choice. Look, we know that they're strong enough to kill Resshin, team or not. The only person to have ever successfully mastered the Kokuryuha is with them. I don't think there's anyone out there who could defeat that dragon and his master."  
  
"I hope you're right, oniisan. I hope you're right," Suzume whisper as they reached the end of the corridor. She suddenly paused. "Hiei's on the other side of this door. And based on his ki signature, he's pissed."  
  
Back to Hiei . . .  
  
Damn Resshin! Why the f*** did he have to mess with Yukina and Kurama?! When I see him, he's going to pay. There's no way in the Reikai, Makai, or anything in between that's going to stop me from doing that! He suddenly stopped. Two unfamiliar ki were on the other side of the door. He put his arm in front of him to avoid being blinded within the dark corridor. Two cat-eared shapes stood in the light, one male one female; that was all Hiei could make out from their shadows alone.  
  
"Hello, Hiei. We have no wish to fight you," the male one says, dropping his weapons to the floor and kicking them to Hiei. The female did the same. "We were hoping to join you."  
  
Back to Yuusuke and Kuwabara . . .  
  
"Sheesh! Where in all the Reikai, Makai, and everything in between did all these trap ideas come from?" Yuusuke asks, examining the remains of yet another trap Hiei sprinted past.  
  
"I dunno, but I feel two unfamiliar ki way up ahead. And Hiei's as well," Kuwabara replies. The two teenagers ran on again.  
  
Back to Nadeshiko . . .  
  
I wonder how Hiei-san is doing . . . I can still make out Kurama-san's ki signature, but it's still so faint . . . what the hell?! Nadeshiko suddenly felt Kurama's ki signature change to one that was not as familiar. Next to her, Sakura started to stir.  
  
"Kurama . . . be careful . . . Kurama . . ." she mumbles.  
  
Poor Sakura-san, even in her state, she's still worried about Kurama-san. I can only hope to find someone as kind and devoted as Kurama-san in the future . . . She cast her thoughts around at all the men she's ever known, and strangely enough- to her, anyway- they landed on a certain fire-dragon- controlling demon. His hair, that heartless b****** act, those eyes . . . The mere thought of Hiei's eyes brought a prickle of tears in her eyes. Those eyes . . . they hold so much untold pain . . . one look in those eyes told me everything. I felt the betrayal, pain, and anger of the past the little fire demon kept bottled up inside. If only I could get him to talk to me . . . to relieve him in some way . . . to make him truly smile and not that smirk he puts on every time he teases Kuwabara . . . She suddenly stopped. Realizing where this train of thought would lead her, she shook her head free of them and went back to surveying the ki signatures around her.  
  
"Mm . . ." Sakura drowsily mumbles. She suddenly sat up. "Kurama?!"  
  
"Sakura-san! Please, you must rest!" Nadeshiko exclaims, shocked.  
  
"N-no! I can't! Kurama's in trouble!" She desperately tries to stand, only to fall down, and open up her stab wound. "S***!"  
  
"It's alright! Everyone went to go get them!" Nadeshiko desperately shouts, not wanting Sakura to open up any more wounds. "Please!"  
  
"No! Kurama's in mortal danger! I can feel it. Stupid fox . . . he's almost out of youki and he still transformed. He may get a boost in youki, but if he drains any more of his energy in that form, he'll die! I can't just sit here!" She suddenly summons up a cloud. "C'mon! We can take Botan with us! Unless we hurry, that stupid youko will die!"  
  
Back in the control room . . .  
  
"Yukina," Youko Kurama whispers, "I'm going to try and disarm these wards and try to bust us outta here. Be ready to break the lock once I'm done. Here." He hands her a dagger made out of a blade of grass. "Use this to cut the lock. See that door over there?" He points at the door right next to them. "I'm going to keep him busy while you get out. Get Hiei and the others. I don't know how long I can hold him off, but I'll certainly make it long enough for you to safely get out."  
  
"But, Kurama-"  
  
"Don't. Just get the others here. And tell Sakura and Nadeshiko-chan that I'm sorry," he replies as he takes out a rose. "Ready?"  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Yukina whispers, not wanting to attract Resshin's attention.  
  
"Yes. Just get out and find the others. Lead them here. I can hold him off for about five minutes, if I'm lucky. There's no time to hesitate. We must do something while he's still watching the screens!"  
  
"Alright," Yukina replies, giving Kurama a confident look. "I'm ready."  
  
"Now, on the count of 3, start cutting the ofuda on the bars. One, two, three!" Yukina raises the knife and cuts through the lock. "Rose Whip!" Youko Kurama focuses his youki and every ofuda on the bars of both of their cages fall to the ground, useless. "Now, Yukina! Run!" he shouts as he uses the whip to cut his way through his own cage. Resshin turns around, shocked.  
  
"So, you have regained consciousness, have you? Too bad for you, I've been forwarned," Resshin says as he presses a button on the control panel. The door to the room closes and locks itself as a metal slab suddenly falls behind Kurama.  
  
"Yukina, hurry! Cut your way through the door!" Youko Kurama shouts as his arms get bound to the slab, forcing him to drop the Rose Whip. The deadly whip falls to the ground, transforming back to a normal rose as Yukina cuts a small hole in the door, crawls through it and disappears into the dark corridor beyond.  
  
"S***! Robots! After her!" Resshin shouts. "As for you, let's see how long you can stay in that form!" Resshin presses a second button; robotic arms fall from the ceiling, placing ofuda on the metal bindings. "These will prevent you from reverting back into your human form. Bwahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
Meanwhile, back to Hiei, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara . . .  
  
"What the-" Hiei exclaims as he hears multiple footsteps from behind the cat demons.  
  
"Hiei-san! Help me!" It was Yukina and there were robots chasing after her.  
  
"Yukina! Duck!" Yukina throws herself onto the floor as Hiei leaps over the cat demons and throws a fireball at the nearest robot, destroying all of them. "Yukina, daijobu?"  
  
"Yes, but Kurama-san isn't. He's still trapped in there." Just then, Yuusuke and Kuwabara arrived.  
  
"Yukina-san! You've escaped!" Kuwabara gleefully shouts as he sees his favorite koorime.  
  
"Yes, but we must hurry to the room at the end of the hallway. Kurama- san's trapped in there!"  
  
"You're right!" a new voice shouts from behind. It was Sakura, in her youko form and she was pissed. "Let's see who this Resshin is. He's got a lot to answer for, especially for cloning Kurama!"  
  
"Sakura! Nadeshiko!" Yuusuke exclaims. "How's Botan?"  
  
"Still out, I'm afraid," Sakura replies. "C'mon let's go kill that b******. I can't stand him any more."  
  
"Who're these two?" Nadeshiko asks, pointing at Shaolan and Suzume.  
  
"These two said that they're willing to fight against Resshin," Hiei replies.  
  
"Let me introduce ourselves," Shaolan replies. "I'm Shaolan, and this is my little sister Suzume. Resshin killed our entire clan and threatened to kill us if we didn't do as he said."  
  
"Why?" Sakura asks, not believing a word either cat demon said.  
  
"Because of our power . . ." Suzume begins.  
  
"To see the future," Shaolan finishes. Everyone looks at the siblings, shocked.  
  
"S-see the future?" Yuusuke asks, shocked.  
  
"Yes. It is an ability that belongs strictly to our clan," Shaolan explains.  
  
"I've heard of such a clan of cat demons, but I never thought they really existed," Sakura says. "I've always thought it was a rumor, a legend."  
  
"Yes, as have I. But the Jagan does not lie, nor do they," Hiei replies, all three eyes open and looking at the siblings' every action and reaction. "Come, if you wish to truly be free of Resshin, then I suggest you two fight with us. I will fight Resshin, for both of you as well. I assume you must have revenge for the death of your clan."  
  
"Yes, but we must hurry. If we dally here any longer . . . the youko that is being held captive will surely die," Suzume says. Everyone, except for Shaolan, looks at her, shocked that she knew what was happening to Kurama. "I know what will happen if we stand here any longer. Our powers have not truly manifested themselves yet, but we can see several hours into the future. And I can guarantee you that the future will change if we start heading towards the control room. Shaolan and I will show you the way."  
  
Back in the control room . . .  
  
"Curse them! I should have known they couldn't be trusted!" Resshin exclaims, frustrated. Youko Kurama inwardly smiled; help would be coming and he could be freed from his bindings. "No matter. I shall summon my most loyal servant yet. Celine, come." A bird-winged female suddenly appeared in the shadows.  
  
"Yes, my lord?" a female voice replies from the shadows.  
  
"Wait here until they enter. When they do, keep them from freeing the youko." As if on cue, the door blasts open as Hiei, Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Sakura, Nadeshiko, Shaolan, Suzume, and Yukina, who was holding Botan, rush through. Yukina lays down Botan as Puu flies over, creating a barrier to protect the Guide to the Reikai.  
  
"Resshin! Today's the day you pay!" Hiei shouts, leaping into the air.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. For, you see, that youko's life is in my hands. One command from me and Celine will cut his throat." Hiei redirects himself in the air and lands, frustrated. Now what? I can't do anything, not with Kurama's life in his hands!  
  
"You b******!" Sakura shouts, getting angrier by the second. "How dare you! Kurama! Daijobu?"  
  
"More or less," came the snide reply. "I'd be better if I could take a nap."  
  
"Geez. All that youki draining and he's still as egocentric as ever," Sakura mutters. "Alright, you b****. Let's see what you're made of. Step away from my youko, unless you want to die."  
  
"So you're the infamous Youko Sakura, youko spy extraordinaire. You're famous for you spying skills in the Makai, as well as your beauty, earning you the name of Mizuhime, the Water Princess," Resshin notes. "But I place no value in fame. Celine! Kill them all!"  
  
"Yes, my lord." She suddenly powers up and starts dashing towards Sakura, Nadeshiko, Shaolan, and Suzume. At the same time, Hiei, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara simultaneously attack Resshin.  
  
"A team attack? Ha! This is too easy," Resshin calmly says as he rapidly throws multiple fireballs at his attackers. Hiei manages to dodge all of them, but Yuusuke and Kuwabara were not as lucky. Kuwabara barely dodged the first, and Yuusuke slipped and was hit by the last few.  
  
"Yuusuke! Kuwabara-kun!" Kurama exclaims, worried. He struggled against his bindings, only to find that they would not budge. S***! I'm almost out of youki just from maintaining this form! If I just had some youki, I could break out.  
  
"Double Ice Tobikunai!" Sakura shouts as she throws them from midair at Celine, who easily flips out of the way. She lands behind Sakura.  
  
"Is that all you've got? Then you're no match for me! Rei Lance!" Celine whirls around and aims straight for Sakura. Sakura barely sees the lance as it runs her through her abdomen, blood spraying from the wound. Sakura falls to the ground; Celine dives in for the final blow.  
  
"Sakura-san!" Nadeshiko shouts, transforming. "I've had it! First you try to kill me by dropping me Reikai knows how many floors, and then you use Karasu! Enough's enough! You're going to pay!" Celine suddenly stops her attack, realizing that Nadeshiko was going to attack.  
  
"Oh? Well, catch me, if you can," Celine flaps her wings a few times as she soars to the ceiling. "There's no way you can hit me now!"  
  
"You wish. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that even Kurama-san hasn't thought up of, starting with this," Nadeshiko replies, suddenly sprouting a huge pair of leaves from her back. The roots wrapped around her, securing the leaves to the little youko. "Just 'cause you can fly, doesn't mean I can't either." The leaves automatically flap a few times, and Nadeshiko was airborne.  
  
"Think you can beat me in the air? Try again," Celine says as she turns around to strike with her lance. Nadeshiko simply rolls to the side and throws a handful of grass, all of which were as sharp as Hiei's sword. Celine dodges a few and knocks away the rest.  
  
"Nice, but can you handle this?" Nadeshiko taunts, pulling out a rose. "So, it may be Kurama-san's signature weapon, but I've still got a few spins to put on it. Rose Whip!" The stem became a rose, but the petals, instead of falling like usual, hovered around Nadeshiko, circling her as she moved in to strike.  
  
"Too obvious!" Celine shouts, throwing her lance at a distance she thought Nadeshiko could not dodge.  
  
"Wrong!" Nadeshiko rolls to her right, barely dodging the lance. "Try this!" She strikes with the whip, spraying blood as it wrapped around Celine's waist.  
  
"H-how could you-?"  
  
"How could I tell you'd do that?" Nadeshiko finishes for Celine. "Simple. I've sparred enough times with Sakura-san to know you'd do that. A lance and a spear are quite close. And now, I finish you." The rose petal blades that surrounded Nadeshiko suddenly moved in to attack Celine, cutting her into pieces as Nadeshiko wordlessly landed to free Kurama.  
  
"So, I've underestimated the youko," Resshin says as he calmly dodges Hiei's every attack. "No matter. I will finish them all! In the end, it is I who shall be victorious!"  
  
Damn it! Hiei silently curses. I can't hit him at al! He's just as fast as before! I gotta finish this now. Out loud, he says, "Enough play. Let's get serious." He begins to gather youki as the seal on his arm burns off.  
  
"So, you're using the secret technique? That's fine. I'm about to show you how helpless you are!" Resshin exclaims, gather youki as well. A fiery black dragon begins to circle around his arm. "Unlike you, I have complete control over my dragon. I don't even need to seal her."  
  
"Shut up! Ensatsu Kokuryuuha!" both fighters simultaneously shout. Two black flame dragons shoot out towards each other. They seemed to be evenly matched, but it was clear within a few seconds whose was stronger.  
  
"What? No way . . ." Resshin says as he suddenly recognizes Hiei's flame dragon, which was slowly edging towards him. "The strongest flame dragon of all, Kuro . . . there's no way he could be the master of it! No matter. All Rui needs is a ki boost and victory will be ours!" He powers up even more. Rui was now pushing back Kuro.  
  
"Don't let me down now!" Hiei shouts at Kuro, who simply screeches in reply. Hiei shoots a ball of youki to boost Kuro's power. Once again, Kuro was pushing back Rui.  
  
"No, I will not loose! I can't!" Resshin exclaims as Kuro was bare meters away from him.  
  
"You will!" Hiei exclaims as he gives Kuro one last boost. Kuro overtakes Rui and crashes into Resshin, who screams one last time as he gets burned to cinders. A huge cloud of dust and debris fall as the explosion destroys the control room. Hiei collapses as he finishes the attack.  
  
"C'mon we gotta get outta here!" Kurama shouts, now in his human form. He was supporting a badly injured Sakura. "Nadeshiko, get Hiei! We'll reseal his arm once we're out!"  
  
"Right!" she dashes over and picks up Hiei and runs for the door. Yuusuke had regained consciousness and was carrying Botan. The cat demons follow suit.  
  
Outside . . .  
  
"Kurama-san! Hiei-san's . . . Hiei-san's . . ." Nadeshiko cries. She couldn't feel any signs of breath or circulation from Hiei's limp body.  
  
"What is it?" Kurama replies, dashing to her side.  
  
"Nadeshiko-chan's not getting any signs of breath or circulation from him! And Nadeshiko can't feel his youki either!" Nadeshiko breaks down into tears.  
  
"What?!" Kurama exclaims, shocked. Yukina looks up from healing Kuwabara. "Quickly, we must transfer youki to him. It's risky, but it may just be enough. I'll-"  
  
"No! Nadeshiko-chan hasn't overtaxed her youki yet! She'll do it!" Nadeshiko exclaims, transforming into her youko form and gathering energy in her hands. A golden ball of youki instantly formed in her hands. She placed the youki near Hiei's body, which readily absorbed it. She checks his body again, but gets no signs of life.  
  
"Ugh," Yuusuke says as he sits up. "Man, what happened? I remember getting hit by fireballs and then everything going blank."  
  
"You were," Kurama replies. Several meters away, Kuwabara, who was being tended to by Yukina, regained consciousness.  
  
"Yukina-san!" Kuwabara exclaims, bandaged.  
  
"Kazuma-san! You're alright! I'm so relieved!" Yukina exclaims. "At least one of the most important people in my life is okay. Hiei-san . . . we-we're not sure if he's going to make it. He used his fire dragon to kill Resshin . . . but now-" She couldn't continue, and breaks down into tears in Kuwabara's arms. "I've just realized who my twin brother is only to have him be taken away! It's not fair!" Kuwabara looks shocked, not knowing how she could have found out, but holds her close to comfort her.  
  
"There's got to be a way to get his heart beating again!" Nadeshiko shouts, desperate. She suddenly looks up to see Shaolan kneeling on Hiei's other side.  
  
"Let me try; I specialize in thunder element attacks," he puts his hands over where Hiei's heart would be and gives him a small shock. He puts two fingers over Hiei's carotid artery and feels a weak pulse. "That did the trick. He's still not breathing; I'll leave that to you." Nadeshiko looks back at him, shocked. Does he know?  
  
"W-what should I do?" she asks, unsure.  
  
"Give him a breath through his mouth once every three seconds. Be sure to pinch his nose," Suzume replies. Nadeshiko does as Suzume said, but as she was going to give Hiei the first breath, Hiei suddenly opens his eyes.  
  
"W-what's going on here?!" Hiei exclaims. He suddenly sits up and knocks Nadeshiko's hands away. Yukina, recognizing the voice, looks up and runs to Hiei's side.  
  
"Hiei-san!" Nadeshiko and Yukina exclaim. The two girls fling their arms around his waist, not caring who was watching. Behind her, Kurama, who had just finished patching up Sakura, and Sakura smirk while everyone else looked shocked.  
  
"I was so afraid that Hiei-san was going to die!" She suddenly starts to cry. Hiei simply looks around at his friends, with a rather helpless and exasperated look on his face.  
  
"A little help, Kurama?" Hiei asks. Kurama says nothing as Yukina pulls away to get a better look of Hiei's face.  
  
"Resshin was right . . . you have okaasan's eyes," Yukina says. "You're my brother; the one I've been looking for!" Clear pearls roll onto Hiei's lap as Yukina starts to cry as well. Hiei's eyes widen in shock and surprise, realizing that she knew the truth. Yet, more importantly, he was more surprised that she did not reject him as her twin.  
  
"Ah! How could I have forgotten! Kurama-san, I need the bandages to wrap up his arm!" Nadeshiko exclaims.  
  
"It seems you've become quite popular, Hiei," Kurama says with a smirk as he brings the bandages.  
  
"And it seems you've recovered quite well from the youki drainage, you stupid fox," Hiei replies, smug as usual. Nadeshiko quickly begins to wrap them around Hiei's arm.  
  
"There, finished," Nadeshiko says as she tucks in the end in Hiei's palm. She suddenly blushes as she realizes that she's holding his hand and promptly looks away, hoping he wouldn't notice.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'd like to sleep sometime tonight," Hiei says, standing up. He looks at Yukina. "I'll visit you later at Genkai's temple. Healing that idiot back there took up a lot of your energy. Go and rest."  
  
"Hey, who's the idiot?!" Kuwabara shouts. Just then, Botan wakes up.  
  
"W-what's going on?" she asks, groggy.  
  
"Botan! You're alright!" Sakura exclaims. While everyone's attention was diverted to Botan, Hiei flitted off, but not before Nadeshiko and Kurama noticed.  
  
"Kurama-san, I'm going after Hiei," Nadeshiko quietly says, preparing to jump into the trees.  
  
"Alright, but be careful." With that, Nadeshiko jumps onto the nearest branch.  
  
Now, which way did he go? Nadeshiko closed her eyes for a minute. Aha! Gotcha! She quickly jumps towards Hiei's ki signature, which was several kilometers away. Damn, he's fast. Huh? He stopped? She skidded to a halt on a nearby tree.  
  
"Hiei-san?" she hesitantly asks.  
  
"Why did you follow me?" came the reply. It was flat, emotionless; Nadeshiko momentarily paused before jumping onto Hiei's branch.  
  
"B-because after what happened tonight . . . I-I've realized . . ." her voice trailed off. I-I can't do it. I love him so much, but I can't do it. What if he doesn't feel the same way? What will happen then? No doubt he'll hate me; I don't want that. True, another voice in her head says, but are you sure he doesn't love you? You can't be sure if you don't tell him. Go on, do it! But I can't! she replies to the voice. Not without knowing what'll happen!  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
"Hey? Where's Nadeshiko?" Yuusuke suddenly asks on their way home.  
  
"Unless if I'm very much mistaken, she's with Hiei," Kurama replies, eyes gleaming with mischief. Sakura says nothing, but giggles next to him.  
  
"Okay, what's going on that I don't know?" Yuusuke asks.  
  
"What? You guys can't tell?" Sakura mockingly replies, a similar gleam in her sea-green eyes.  
  
"I don't notice anything different," Kuwabara replies, "other than HieiHjk;aHiei letting me get within three feet of Yukina."  
  
"Exactly," Kurama replies, "and unless if I'm very much mistaken, there's something else on Hiei's mind when he took off."  
  
"Like what?" Shaolan asks. The conversation had gotten him quite curious.  
  
"Of course!" Suzume shouts. "Hiei-san and Nadeshiko-san . . . they're in love!"  
  
"You got it!" Sakura and Kurama answer in unison. Everyone else, other than Suzume, was shocked.  
  
"And how did you two know?" Shaolan asks.  
  
"I've known Hiei long enough to know. Not to mention the fact that Nadeshiko-chan gets quite happy every time she sees him," Kurama replies.  
  
"Yes, and they had a funny way of exchanging glances and then looking away," Sakura continues. "I could tell there was something more going on; whether or not they figured out it was mutual was a completely different matter. Although after tonight, I'm more than willing to bet it shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"Well? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go spy on them!" Botan exclaims.  
  
"I think not," Kurama and Sakura replies. The pair knew all too well that Hiei and Nadeshiko were in the middle of a private moment and didn't want to ruin it.  
  
"If you want to go, fine; but you must get past us," Sakura says, knowing full well it'd be impossible.  
  
"Alright, alright, we get the point. Let's just go home. All this fighting's making me sleepy," Yuusuke replies with a yawn.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
"If there's something you want to say, say it now," Hiei coolly replies.  
  
"Hi-Hiei-san ga daisuki yo!" Nadeshiko finally exclaims, looking away. Now he'll really hate me!  
  
No way; she's got to be kidding. No one loves me, everyone thinks I'm a cold-blooded killer, thief, and a freak of nature. All I am to the rest of the world is some mistake of nature. Without another word, he jumps off, leaving Nadeshiko to cry in the tree.  
  
Several hours later at Kurama's place . . .  
  
"Where is she?" Sakura asks, worried. "It's been several hours and she's still not home! Maybe we should go and find her." Just then, a small knock came from the door. Sakura rushes to the door to see a puffy-eyed, sniffling, Nadeshiko. "What's wrong, Nadeshiko-chan?"  
  
"H-he just took off without saying another word! I-I'm such a fool!" Nadeshiko shouts, falling into Sakura's arms as a fresh wave of sobs wracked their way through her. The pair sink to the ground as Nadeshiko cries her heart out.  
  
"He's just not good about expressing his emotions," Kurama says, putting his arms around the two. "What you said probably surprised him more than you think; it's more likely he reacted out of habit more than anything else. He's had a tough life; I don't believe anyone's ever told him they loved him."  
  
"Y-you knew?" she asks, surprised.  
  
"Of course I did," he replies with a smirk. "That look in your eyes every time we went to see the guys gave you away."  
  
"Now, why don't you wash up and rest; there's still hope, he hasn't given you his reply, now has he?" Sakura suggests, hoping to cheer up the little youko.  
  
The next morning . . .  
  
As usual, Hiei had gone to his favorite tree and spent the night there, thinking. He'd heard her crying as he left, haunting his every step as he left her. Now, it tore at him heart and soul as his sole course of action dawned upon him: he had to go see her, no matter what. Is that what I've been feeling for her this whole time? Do I really love her?  
  
(Begin Amuro Namie's "Say the Word"; translations are in )  
  
Eien ni tsuzuku michi tooku hateshinaku Atarashii kaze kanjinagara kyou mo aruite  
  
He leaps from his branch, jumping through the trees towards his destination. It was a crisp, clear morning; the sun was just poking out over the horizon. Nadeshiko's proclamation rings clear in his mind. "Hi- Hiei-san ga daisuki yo!"  
  
Hikari sae miushinatte samayotta toshitemo Aseranaide tatakaeru kimi dake no tame ni  
  
Will she forgive me? Does she still love me? He suddenly stops on a nearby roof in front of Nadeshiko's bedroom window. Should I go? He disappears as Nadeshiko suddenly opens the window, with dark circles under her eyes. She could not sleep and had stayed up all night thinking.  
  
Should I have even told him? He probably doesn't want to see me anymore . . .  
  
Arifureta kotoba ga ii kikasete hoshii I  
  
I should have known better . . . than to tell him . . . maybe it's better if I just disappeared . . . but a small part of me wished he'd told me . . .  
  
Say the word, and lead me there for you Ari no mama arukesou Say the word, and it's my dream come true Kagirinaku doko mademo  
  
Where is she going? Hiei silently watches as Nadeshiko runs out of the building, bag over her shoulder, and not even looking back. I've got to tell her the truth!  
  
Here together now...and everlasting Koko kara subete ga mirai e to oto tatezu ni Ugokihajimeteru yo  
  
Nadeshiko stops at the park, which was empty in the early morning sun. Seeing a large tree, she throws down her bag at the ground against the trunk and starts to sob. Why did I do it? I'm such an idiot. Silently, Hiei stops right next to her. Almost hesitantly, he places his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Na-Nadeshiko-chan, I-"  
  
"Go away!" She roughly pushes his hand away and goes back to sobbing. "I don't want to see you!"  
  
Sabishisa ya setsunasa mo subete dakishimeru  
  
"I'm not leaving." He sits down next to her and pulls her into his lap.  
  
"What are you doing?! Get away from me!" Nadeshiko shouts, struggling to get free, yet sobbing harder at the same time. Hiei shook away his doubts and gathered up his courage, hoping against hope that it was not too late.  
  
"Nadeshiko-chan ga daisuki yo." He buries his face in her hair, tears coming to his eyes. "Gomen ne, Nadeshiko-chan. I didn't mean to hurt you . . . I just didn't know how to respond."  
  
Say the word, and lead me there for you Issho nara kitto Say the word, and it's my dream come true Motome au dake de ii  
  
Did he just- "Hontou?" she asks, looking up. Hiei does not reply, but nods. A teary smile makes its way to her face as she throws her arms around Hiei's neck, cuddling up to him.  
  
Surechigai kizu tsuitemo futari dake no basho wa aru kara Onaji hikari abitai with you and me  
  
A short distance away, a pair of youkos sigh with relief. They had been frantically searching for Nadeshiko when they found her missing that morning.  
  
"C'mon, let's go. She'll be safe with him."  
  
I'm just waiting for you to say the word I  
  
She's so beautiful . . . like an angel . . . even in her sleep. He picks up the sleeping youko, slowly walking her back to her bedroom.  
  
Say the word, and lead me there for you Ari no mama arukesou Say the word, and it's my dream come true Kagirinaku doko mademo Say the word, and lead me there for you Issho nara kitto Say the word, and it's my dream come true Motome au dake de ii  
  
Hiei lays down the precious bundle in her bed, stopping only to brush her sapphire bangs from her face.  
  
"Take good care of her, Hiei. I don't want to see her get hurt again," Kurama quietly says from the door. He leaves just as quietly as he arrived.  
  
Say the word, and lead me there for you The road ahead of us goes on Say the word, and it's my dream come true I'm just waiting for you to say the word Kono basho kara mirai e  
  
Hiei stands up to go, but stops when Nadeshiko grabs his cloak sleeve in her sleep. Silly kitsune . . . He takes his other hand to free his sleeve.  
  
"Don't go, Hiei-san . . ." she mumbles, tugging harder. A slight smile played across her features.  
  
"You're faking it," Hiei quietly says as her eyes flutter open. She says nothing but pouts and sticks her tongue out at him. "You're asking for it . . ." Two seconds later, he had her pinned and squealing with laughter as he tickled her. Outside, two certain youkos rolled their eyes and went back to cuddling and watching TV.  
  
(Song ends) ~Owari~  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiii!! I finally finished it! Yeah!  
  
Kurama: What's up with me not doing anything in this fic?! Yuck! I hate it!  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: C'mon now, don't be a party pooper. I needed a fic to put Nadeshiko-chan and Hiei together. Aren't they just adorable?  
  
Everyone else but Hiei and Nadeshiko (sweatdropping): . . .  
  
Nadeshiko (hanging off of Hiei's arm): Thank you!  
  
Hiei (ignoring everyone but Nadeshiko): Care to go somewhere a bit more private?  
  
Nadeshiko: Sure! (Leaves with Hiei.)  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: Okay, that was quick.  
  
Yuusuke: What's up with me getting K.O.ed every time we get down to the big fight? Aren't I supposed to be the No. 1 undefeatable team leader?  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: True, but the past fics are about the characters overcoming their pasts. Naturally, they must be the ones who fight the leading villain. Otherwise, they really would not have accomplished anything at all.  
  
Shaolan: Care to tell us what you plans are?  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: You mean for you and Suzume?  
  
Shaolan: Of course.  
  
Kurama no Miko2003: I'm not sure. (Everyone face-falls.) Honestly! Now, I'm kinda at an end here, so all my wonderful reviewers, care to give me some ideas? And any flames for me not writing Kurama x Hiei will be used to roast yummy marshmallows! (^_^) 


End file.
